Track 5

Track 05

I had the most amazing adventure last year. I spent an afternoon exploring the caves near my village with a group of friends. None of us had ever been caving before, so we went with my friend’s brother, who’s been doing it for ages. He supplied all the equipment and showed us what to do and how to stay safe.

The route down into the earth was really narrow in places. It was quite an intense experience. At one point, I was completely wedged in between two sheets of rock. It was a struggle to stay calm. Eventually I was able to work my way free and continue the journey.

After what seemed like ages the tunnel opened up into this huge space underground. It was damp and pitch black - full of echoes and other strange noises. I could hear something flapping but I couldn’t see what it was. We had to tread carefully and hang onto each other as the ground was very uneven and there were pools of water all over the place, goodness knows how deep. We slowly worked our way around and back out the way we came in.

I suppose I chose to go on this adventure because I needed a challenge. I tend to get nervous in small spaces, so this was an opportunity to try to overcome my fears. Also, this was the last summer we were going to be together before heading off to university, so it was good to do something special, something memorable.

I felt really proud of myself at the end of it. It was a valuable experience. I learned that it’s really liberating to face your fears. It also confirmed something that I suppose I’ve always known: friendship is priceless! There’s no way I could have done it on my own.